


Transmigration

by calaidi



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-31
Updated: 2013-10-31
Packaged: 2017-12-31 02:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calaidi/pseuds/calaidi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SPOILERS for 126-128 because this is a “what’s going to happen when Mizael vs. Arclight bros ends” fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Transmigration

It was odd how after such a dramatic event, the world fell silent.

It had happened after his duel with Kaito too, all those months ago. Chris could feel the last blow knock him off his feet, he could feel himself hit the ground and slide to a stop, he could see Michael falling right beside him...but for that one, long, heartrending moment at the end of it all, he couldn't seem to hear a thing.

That was it. just like that, they had lost. they had put up a good fight and forced Mizael to work for his victory every second of the way and so must have stalled these three Barians long enough to give Yuma the time he needed. They'd put forth a duel Thomas would have been proud of...

Did any of that really matter, though, when he'd failed his other brother too?

"Nii-sama!"

It took what felt like an inhuman effort to turn him head; he could already feel his limbs growing heavy as life left them (and he'd felt like this once before, hadn't he, and Michael had been there too). Michael lay a short distance away, reaching out to him with what little strength he had left. The look on his face felt like a stab in the gut--the way his eyes were wide with fear and pain and the tears streaming down his cheeks to the ground...

Chris felt something tickle his nose and realized he'd started crying too. And why not, with what was about to happen?

So he didn't try to stop it, but he did try to smile and reach out to his brother in turn. Even now that they were almost a proper family again, he hadn't smiled enough for his brothers. Not like he used to. Maybe this one could be more like the ones he'd had back then.

"It's okay, Michael," Chris murmured, putting all his strength into reaching across the ground for his brother. It wasn't that far, just another inch or so... "I'm not going to leave you."

Michael smiled too through his own tears, a smile that said in part that he knew what Chris was trying to do. That he knew that Chris couldn't really keep that promise, or that he couldn't reciprocate it.

(Chris tried to not notice that Michael had stopped moving other than to stare at him, that his fingers had stopped moving even though they were still an inch away.)

"Let's go to meet Thomas together, nii-sama," Michael said, even as his eyes slipped closed. "He'll be waiting for us."

Chris couldn't muster the strength to keep moving any longer--and really ,had it been doing any good when they were still just as far apart?--or even to say anything to let Michael know he heard and he'd be there. He'd be there right at Michael's side as they entered Hell and Thomas chided them for being late.

The last thing Chris saw was his brother begin to fade and dissolve away in a cloud of pink.

~*~

"Time to wake up, sleepyhead~!"

The bright voice was what brought him out of his slumber (was it though? he didn't remember falling asleep or _being_ asleep), but it was the world he saw as he opened his eyes that woke him up. For a moment, the reddish-pink glow of everything hit him like a blow to the gut--it _hurt_ , something about that hurt every fiber of his being--

And then the feeling was gone, replaced by a sense of belonging and _home_ , and he was looking up at a handsome gold and red being with a hand held out to him.

"Finally awake, huh?" The being closed his eyes in a smile, laughing without making a sound. "You and that kid showed up at the same time, but he woke up ages ago. I'm Menkael. Welcome to Baria."

Baria...yes he knew that. They were Barian...and the pink boy behind Menkael must have been the "kid" who had appeared with him. Looking at both of them together felt familiar and right, though he couldn't why why, and he gladly placed a white hand in Menkael's to let himself be pulled to his feet.

"Astera," he said, knowing instinctively that it was right, that it was him. "I'm Astera. It's a pleasure to meet you both."


End file.
